With HBO's
Game Of Thrones wrapping up a stellar first season and
American Gods (far) on the horizon, television is on the cusp of a fantasy revolution. And it isn't the squeaky-clean fantasy of
Harry Potter or
Lord of the Rings (for that, see the upcoming and very promising
Once Upon A Time) – cable TV is ready and willing to tell adult fantasy stories for adult viewers.
With that in mind, the
Screen Rant crew put together a list of the fantasy novels we'd most like to see adapted into serialized TV dramas with modest-to-big budgets. All of them would make sprawling, epic TV shows... in the right hands, of course.
Check out our list and see if you agree with our picks - and add a few suggestions of your own to our comment section.
Harry Keogh sees dead people. In the modern United Kingdom that could be a problem, but the protagonist of the
Necroscope novels uses it to his advantage, discovering that the dead are generally okay folks. They teach him the skills he'll need to solve his mother's murder, fight a growing menace of vampires and necromancers, and affect the growing operations of ESP-ionage on the world stage.
With over a dozen novels roughly coinciding with real-world time, there's a lot of material to cover for aspiring writers and producers. This is a series that's not afraid to throw spies, psychics, sorcerers, vampires and mathematical formulas for teleportation into the mix - and that's just in the first novel! Later novels go even further down the fantasy path, including adventures set in twisted vampire realms, inter-dimensional wars, and conflict on both sides of the life and death divide. With the complex and multi-faceted world of the novels, a rich continuity rivaling the likes of
Doctor Who is not out of the question.
Imagine the
Assassin's Creed video games, minus the ridiculous “genetic memory” framing device. Now add in a medieval setting and a pinch of magic. Bang! You've got
The Night Angel Trilogy, also known as
The Shadows Trilogy, by Brent Weeks. These three paperbacks have been flying off the shelves since their introduction in 2008.
The protagonist is Azoth, a pickpocket orphan (man, there's a lot of them running around the fantasy genre) living in the streets of Cenaria. The boy becomes an apprentice to the best assassin in the city in hopes of avenging the rape of a childhood friend. Cable viewers who want blood and sleaze in equal amounts (I know you're reading,
True Blood fans) couldn't hope for better source material.
A more modern fantasy interpretation,
The Kingkiller Trilogy begins with The Name of the Wind, in which our hero, Kvothe, recounts his many adventures. As a skilled fighter, intellectual and musician, Kvothe is a pre-Rennaisance man, and uses his talents to haphazardly solve whatever quest is laid before him.
Like
A Song of Ice and Fire,
The Kingkiller Chronicle isn't finished; the last of Rothfuss' three books has yet to be published. That shouldn't worry fans too much, though - were development to begin immediately, it would still be 2-3 years before the first episode aired, with plenty of time to conclude the story. Which is more than many George R. R. Martin fans are currently hoping for.
Terry Brooks has been described as a master of modern fantasy, and tens of millions of readers can't be wrong. The first set of novels in his main universe are centered around the mythical sword Shannara, and the generations of men who wield it. A classic adventure fantasy,
The Sword of Shannara is seen by many as a continuation of the Tolkein tradition – although there are a few who say Brooks follows his inspiration a little too closely.
Many have tried to adapt Shannara to the big screen with exactly zero success thus far. The latest comer was Warner Bros., who let the rights slip out of their grasp back in 2010. Perhaps someone could take a hint from
Game of Thrones (which started out as a movie project) and sail for the long-form serialized waters of television. And if the series should last more than three seasons, there's plenty of material to draw from for a continuing story.
With a story spanning decades of story time and real-world time (the ten books of the series were published between 1970 and 1985), adapting
The Chronicles of Amber for the small screen would be no small task, and bringing audiences along might be even harder. But for the right studio, the series would be well worth the attempt.
The novels focus on the relationship between two “worlds” (dimensions) the various shadowy worlds “around” them, and the special few who can travel between the worlds. Reality is a fragile thing within the confines of the series, and meddling with the wrong magic (or taking the wrong hallucinogens) can send hapless users onto terrifying new planes of existence.
Another rags-to-riches orphan story in the oldest tradition of high fantasy,
The Belgariad follows the story of Garion, a farmboy destined for greatness. The story begins with a prophecy of a confrontation between good and evil foreshadowed by a mysterious “storyteller” character. The five books in the saga have a lot in common with
A Song Of Ice And Fire with the exception of a much larger emphasis on magic.
Eddings' first novel in the series,
Pawn of Prophecy, was published in 1982, and the following four books came out within the next two years. It makes for a fast and extremely cohesive read, and the divisions between novels are pretty much perfect for season-long story arcs.
Beginning with the titular Outlander, this time-traveling romance series follows protagonist Claire Randall. She begins the story in Scotland in the 1940s, just after World War II, where she and her husband are investigating some family history. After a pagan ritual near some standing stones (a la Stonehenge) goes awry, Randall is whisked away to the 1700s, wherein she meets a swashbuckling captain who bears an uncanny resemblance to her future husband.
Outlander and its sequels stress historical fiction and romance more than strict fantasy, but if its fervent fans are any indication, there' more than enough room in the current TV schedule for its like. Gabaldon doesn't skimp on the sultry details (shifts and bodices go flying with remarkable regularity), and there's plenty of alpha males and despicable villains to keep the story clipping along.
If there's one series on this list that fits the traditional fantasy mold to a T, it's
The Riftwar Saga. The fist volume was published almost thirty years ago, with a long history and well-developed world that rivals George R.R. Martin's
A Song Of Ice And Fire, despite being only three books long. Squabbling kingdoms, ancient magic and a world war all flesh out the long story.
The primary character is an orphan named Pug, who begins his career as a magician's apprentice. Across thousands of pages and decades of story time, high magic and good-old-fashioned steel determine the various rulers of the world – heights to which Pug ascends via luck, skill, and no small amount of scheming.
Beginning with
Kushiel's Dart and extending across a pair of trilogies,
Kushiel's Legacy may be the most risque of the currently popular fantasy series. This medieval world has enough debauchery and deviancy to make residents of Sodom and Gomorrah blush – in other words, it's right up Showtime's alley.
Kushiel takes place in a fantastic mirror of 12th-century France, with a plot inspired by some of the more spicy segments of Christian and Jewish mythology. Leading lady Phedre is cursed by a minor physical flaw and sold into slavery, wherein she embarks on a whirlwind tour of Carey's complex and intricate world. There's enough material in the first book for three seasons of television at the very least.
The Curse of Chalion is a sprawling saga with spiritual overtones, in the vein of a medieval
Ben Hur. Lupe Cazaril returns to his ancestral home after a disastrous war and an even more horrifying internment. Despite yearning for a life of quiet fulfillment, his new assignment as a royal tutor brings him front-and-center in a struggle to free the royal family of an ancient curse.
The gods of the fantasy world are characters in their own right, not unlike a modernized Greek epic. The Father, Mother, Daughter, Son and the Bastard are an integral and ever-present part of everyday life (far more so than the various gods of
Game Of Thrones) and give Bujold's universe a distinct culture that few can match.
Gods Behaving Badly is a lot like Neil Gaiman's
American Gods, in that it assumes that the old Greek pantheon is real but diminished in a modern world devoid of religious fervor. The difference is that in Phillips' interpretation, all the Greek gods live in the same crappy house outside of London. Immortal, yet developmentally stunted, gods like Ares, Hephaestus and Aphrodite take menial jobs while clinging to their last shreds of power.
This gives them just enough time to squabble amongst themselves and make life a living Hades for any hapless mortal who spoils their fun. This book screams for a dark comedic drama along the lines of
Dead Like Me – here's hoping that Red Hour Films gets their act together and delivers on their promise to make the novel into a TV series.
This isn't an exhaustive list, and we know there's a few well-loved novels we've missed. If you've got a favorite fantasy series that you want to see adapted for television, let us know in the comments.
‘Anchorman 2′ Trailers Tease the Return of Ron Burgundy’s News Team [Updated] 
Hugh Jackman Reveals Summer Start Date for ‘Wolverine 2′ 
‘Walking Dead’ Season 3 Preview Reveals The Prison & Michonne [Updated] 
‘Breaking Bad’ Season 5 Premieres July 15; Concludes Summer 2013 
Loading ...
Slippery Jim DiGriz, The Stainless Steel Rat
Good choice, I agree!
I second that. But it’s really more sci-fi than fantasy.
Eldritch, is that you from SA in Lex?
I’m sorry but this list is severely lacking. It doesn’t have Steven Brust’s Taltos series.
i think the season of heroes and the vampire diaries or charmed would do yeap
Personally, I have several. Orcs By Stan Nichols, The Dwarves by Marcus Heintz, and any of the trilogies of Drizzt Do’Urden by R.A. Salvador.
I would love to see a series based on R.A. Salvatore’s most memorable character, Drizzt Do’Urden, the dark elf who shuns life in Menzoberazzan (sp?) and decides to go his own way rather than follow in the ways of his race. I am sure that this one has been mentioned often. I just didn’t look through all of the comments that were posted to see. I am really surprised he did not make the list. There is a lot of material to work with on this one.
Absolutely agree, R.A. Salvatore books following the life of Drizzt Do’Urden definitely should be on the list. Fabulous settings, story and characters! Also would love to see a screen adaptation of an Asian fantasy series called Tales of the Otori / Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. Takes place in a setting much like feudal Japan. And to anyone who hasn’t read them, I recommend it!
I always thought the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant would make a good film.
no mention of the wheel of time? other than the scope of the story which would be daunting for any type of screen adaptation, i see no reason not to include robert jordan’s masterpiece saga. the wheel of time would be in fine company with the series listed but even though jordan didn’t live to conclude it himself, the story remains peerless.
While Jordan doesn’t conclude the series, he did spend much of his last year laying down a sequence of events with his wife, who is in charge of making sure Brandon Sanderson makes it as captivating as the rest of the series.
I absolutely agree the wheel of time is one of the best series i have ever read and would be a major money maker for any producer that took on the task of adapting it for the big screen.
I would love to see the Belgariad as a TV series! I love those books, the characters are great and I think it would work well. I also agree with Nikki that R A Salvatores Drizzt Do’Urden books would be amazing to see on the TV
I’ve gone through all 15 pages of comments, and I am a bit surprised that no one has so far mentioned Robert E. Howard’s Conan series. Forget the two movies (although I liked noth of them). Howard wrote many Conan short stories, and at least one novel if memory serves, and there are many years of chronology to work from. Neither of the films actually drew solely form the source material. Howard was a great writer with a very vivid descriptive imagination. My vote for kicking a couple off of this list would be for a cable series beginning with the first Conan story and following the chronology form there. Any one of the short stories could be made into several episodes. My second choice as a replacement for another on the current list would be the stories of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser by Fritz Leiber.
I am suprised to not find any mention of the Xanth series. I would think that it would be great serialized for TV. There is a ton of source material. It would not be as high drama as many of the other series mentioned but I think it would still be great fun.
I am surprised that Conan also is not number one on the list, as it is most easiest and most exciting out of the lot. Robert E.Howard wrote for pulp and pulp writers make the best TV, ask Lovecraft and Burroughs. I liked Shanara and Eddings, they would be one hell of a challenge!
“. . . it is most easiest and most exciting out of the lot.” Dave, a beautiful sentiment, one I wholeheartedly embrace.
I’m not sure I want to see it handled for television, but R. Scott Bakker’s “Prince of Nothing” saga could be amazing.
~rl
I completely agree about Robert E. Howard’s Conan. And I do mean *Robert E. Howard’s* Conan, which has never really been truly adapted by any of the films or the absurd TV show in the 90′s. Do it right, stick to the original stories and it could be a great show.
“And I do mean *Robert E. Howard’s* Conan, which has never really been truly adapted. . . .”
Exactly!
“Do it right, stick to the original stories and it could be a great show.”
Absolutely!
How about Piers Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortality Series? I would love to see those books made into a movie or series!!!
For fantasy, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Ethshar books (Lawrence Watt-Evans) made into a tv series. Or movies, for that matter.
Likewise, I wouldn’t mind seeing Mercedes Lackey’s ‘Valdemar’ books on the screen.
What about the ever growing Warhammer series? Particularly the Horus Heresy? I think those would make some kick ass action/space/war movies.
Druss! Druss! Druss! Druss!!
No love for David Gemmel’s Drenai series? How amazing would it be to see an old man kicking the crap out of an entire army? Its not even just Legend but any of the Drenai/Rigante books which would do it for me.
Waylander could lead into several Drenai tales. You’d think that the structure (simplicity) of Gemmel would be ideal for translation onto any screen.
godstalk series, not finish yet but long enough already for a show i think, Ancient struggles god gods gods make this series of novels simply amazing
I would love to see Jacqueline Carey’s books made into a series.
the legend of drizzit by R. A. Salvator
The bitterbynde series and the crowthistle chronicles by Cecilia Dart Thornton. I definitely agree with riftwar
At the risk of not having read all of the comments. I would love to see the Time Master trilogy from Louise Cooper made into a movie/tv series. In the vein of high fantasy you couldn’t go wrong with Tad Williams Dragonbone Chair et all.
Otherland, Tad Williams… somehting new and so profound of our digital age.
Drizzt Do’Urden books by R.A. Salvador and Laurell Hamilton’s Anita Blake Books would be top of my list. It would be amazing to see Jacqueline Carey’s book on screen as well
The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind should get another go!
AGREED! Legend was great though.
omg ur list sucks. there is no sci fi on there. only crappy fantasy s*** playing in the middle ages.. we got enough of that crap already on tv
Ummm, you DO realize that the list specifically concentrated on FANTASY novels, right? It’s actually in the title of the article…
Is it possible that turd did not read any of the content in this list at all? Well, yes, it is. In fact, it seems rather likely.
I would appreciate turd doing as a turd does and getting flushed and leaving the comments to people who actually read. We know that didn’t happen because he did not read the title at all.
Shakes head at the ignorance
I am enjoying all the suggestions.
Thanks
definitely the “Wheel of Time” series by robert jordan or the Dune series. both are amazing and have great relationships between characters, both friends and foes, that would combine with action to make an awesome show
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant!